Pencil Point vs Hopper Head
Pencil Point (Behr) and Hopper Head (Farrow & Ball) come from different manufacturers. Both sit in the grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 11 vs 9 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. Where Pencil Point leans blue, Hopper Head reads neutral — a distinction that shifts noticeably depending on the light source and surrounding finishes. ΔE 4.0 means they're clearly different, but not dramatically so — they'd pair well in the same room. Below you'll find 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Pencil Point vs Hopper Head in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Pencil Point and Hopper Head are close enough that the difference can be hard to judge from a chip alone — these photos show how each reads at scale, across different spaces and lighting conditions.
Living Room
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Color Details
Pencil Point vs Hopper Head Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Pencil Point on one side and Hopper Head on the other.
Digital color is approximate. These simulations are generated from the manufacturer's hex values and overlaid on grayscale room photos — your screen's calibration, brightness, and viewing angle all affect how they render. Before committing to either color, test physical samples in your own space under the light you actually live with.
More Pencil Point comparisons
See how Pencil Point stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 11), opening up a space where Pencil Point encloses it.
At LRV 69 vs 11, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
Pencil Point reads slightly lighter (LRV 11 vs 6), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 52 vs 11, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 30 vs 11, Evergreen Fog is decisively the brighter choice.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 11), opening up a space where Pencil Point encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 11, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 11), opening up a space where Pencil Point encloses it.
Denim Drift reflects far more light (LRV 27 vs 11), opening up a space where Pencil Point encloses it.
At LRV 43 vs 11, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
A 6-point LRV gap (11 vs 4) makes Pencil Point the marginally brighter of the two.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 11), opening up a space where Pencil Point encloses it.
With LRVs of 13 and 11, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 11), opening up a space where Pencil Point encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 11, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (21 vs 11) makes Artichoke the marginally brighter of the two.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 11), opening up a space where Pencil Point encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 11), opening up a space where Pencil Point encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 11), opening up a space where Pencil Point encloses it.
With LRVs of 12 and 11, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 11), opening up a space where Pencil Point encloses it.
At LRV 41 vs 11, Dix Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 11, Calamine is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 25 vs 11, Treron is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 12 and 11, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 11), opening up a space where Pencil Point encloses it.
At LRV 31 vs 11, Pale Green is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (11 vs 7) makes Pencil Point the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 24 vs 11, Cement grey is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 57 vs 11, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.